Temporary vs permanent Disability Grant: what the difference means
On this page (5 sections)
A temporary Disability Grant is awarded when the assessment finds you unable to work for at least six months but not more than twelve. A permanent grant is awarded when the incapacity is expected to last longer than a year. Both pay the same R2,400 a month. The difference is what happens at the end: a temporary grant lapses on its end date and does not renew itself, while a permanent grant continues — though neither is beyond a review. 'Permanent' does not mean for life.
| Temporary | Permanent | |
|---|---|---|
| Awarded when | Incapacity of 6 to 12 months | Incapacity of more than 12 months |
| Amount | R2,400 | R2,400 |
| End date | Fixed — the grant lapses on it | None |
| Renewal | None — you must reapply from scratch | Continues |
| New medical assessment | Required for each reapplication | Only if a review calls for one |
| Subject to review | Yes | Yes |
| Typical experience | The payment stops with no warning | Continues until a review or a change in circumstances |
How to renew without an unpaid gap
- Find your end date and write it down
It is on your approval letter. If you cannot find it, call 0800 60 10 11 with your ID number or ask at the office. Do this today rather than in the month it matters.
- Start gathering records three months before
Ask your clinic or hospital for updated reports, and collect anything that has happened since the first application — new specialist letters, hospital admissions, changed treatment.
- Reapply about two months before the end date
This is the whole trick. A reapplication takes up to three months, so applying early is the only way to keep the payments continuous.
- Attend the new medical assessment
A fresh assessment is required every time. It must be no older than three months when the application is made.
- If a gap opens anyway, claim in the meantime
The SRD grant covers unemployed adults at R370 a month, and children in your care can be claimed for with the Child Support Grant.
Why so many awards are temporary
The Social Assistance Act ties the award to the assessed duration of incapacity, not to the severity of the condition. Where a doctor cannot say the incapacity will run beyond a year — because treatment may work, because the condition fluctuates, or because the prognosis is genuinely uncertain — the correct outcome under the rules is a temporary award. It is not a judgement that you are less disabled; it is a statement about what can be predicted.
If you disagree with a temporary award
- Get the finding in writing from the SASSA office.
- Appeal within 90 days, attaching specialist evidence on prognosis, not just diagnosis.
- Keep collecting the temporary grant while the appeal runs — appealing does not stop payment.
- Diarise the end date anyway. An appeal is not a renewal, and the temporary grant will still lapse on schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Is a temporary disability grant less money?
No. Both pay R2,400 a month. The difference is duration, not amount.
Does a permanent disability grant last for life?
No. It means the incapacity was assessed as lasting more than twelve months. It continues without an end date but can still be reviewed and stopped if your circumstances change.
Will SASSA remind me before my temporary grant ends?
Do not rely on it. Many beneficiaries only discover the end date when a payment fails to arrive. Find the date now and diarise it.
Can a temporary grant be converted to permanent?
Not by conversion. A reapplication with a fresh assessment can result in a permanent award if the new evidence supports incapacity lasting more than a year.
Do I get backpay for the months between lapsing and re-approval?
No. Payment runs from the new application date, which is exactly why reapplying about two months early matters so much.
Verified information
- Responsible body
- South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
- Official source
- sassa.gov.za
- Status
- Officially confirmed
- Date verified
- Confidence
- High confidence
The six-to-twelve-month temporary band, the 'longer than a year' permanent definition and the lapsing-and-reapplication rule are confirmed against gov.za and SASSA guidance on the Disability Grant.
SA Benefits is independent and not affiliated with SASSA or government. Editorial guidance on this page is clearly separated from official information — see how we verify.
What's changed on this page (1)
Published to separate the two award types clearly, including the reapplication timeline that determines whether a renewal leaves an unpaid gap.
Site-wide corrections are logged publicly in the corrections register.
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